Room 136
by Kevin Frantz NapervilleGhosts.com
Copyright 2007
Ron
and Trish Merrin (not their real names) live in Detroit. They’d had heard about
Naperville. They’d read that the town
was interesting, the Riverwalk amazing, the food spectacular, in short a
wonderful weekend getaway.
It
was late summer, 2007, when they began planning their weekend jaunt to
Naperville. And a special weekend it
was: they were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary.
A
gorgeous September morning greeted them as they packed the car with the
essentials for a few days absence from home. They made the house secure and
headed to Naperville. They had hotel
reservations at the Days Inn, as well as dinner reservations at a few of Naperville’s
5 star eateries. - After all, it was their anniversary weekend.
The
drive was about 5 hours; they arrived at the hotel late afternoon.
They
entered the hotel; it was an exceptionally clean and friendly place. They proceeded to the desk to check in. The young man welcomed them to Naperville
and offered his assistance in any matters that they might need him. He handed them the room key – number 136.
They
took the key and made their way to the room.
Ron was moving a wheeled unit that carried their luggage, while Trish
was a few steps ahead, leading the way.
They had only been walking a moment when before was their room, plainly
labeled: 136.
Trish
handed her purse to Ron and inserted the electronic key. The light flashed
green; she turned the knob and pushed the door open. But nothing played out correctly at all. Trish was immediately
hit with a pungent smell of cigarette smoke. She grimaced her face and looked
in the room through the half-open door. In that instant she saw a large black
shadowy object move speedily across the room toward her, she pulled back
slightly in response. The object pushed the door closed hard in her face,
knocking her backward.
Ron,
standing off to the side, didn’t see any of what had just happened in the last
6 seconds, other than what appeared to be his wife pulling the door shut
violently and falling backward.
“What
are you doing?” he asked.
Trish
turned toward him, completely pale.
“There’s something in there. A
shadowy… thing. Look!”
Ron
shook his head, “I don’t think so. Let’s get a Manager.”
They
left their luggage in the hall and briskly made their way to the front
desk. The young man was still there and
they asked to speak to a Manager. He appeared promptly, asking if there was a
problem.
Wrong
question. Trish was visibly shaken, and
responded harshly. “I thought our room was non-smoking? And it’s occupied – by something. I don’t
even know what it was. He slammed the
door in my face!”
The
manager was perplexed. He, of course, apologized profusely for the error, and
began checking the guest register on the computer. “Strange, room 136 is
unoccupied… And non-smoking.”
Trish
shook her head, “well someone very rude is in there, and the smell of smoke is
very strong.”
The
Manager came around to the customer area, “Give me the key, we’re going to get
to the bottom of this right now.” The 3
of them made their way to room 136.
A
moment later they stood at the door. Ron and Trish off to the side, the Manager
with the key in hand, gently knocked on the door, “anyone in there”? All 3 awaited a response.
Nothing.
The
Manager again knocked and asked if anyone was in there. Again, no response. He looked at Ron and Trish and shrugged his
shoulders. “I guess we go in”? He took a deep breath and swiped the
key. The light turned green. Ron and Trish back away. He turned the knob
and pushed the door open a few inches.
“Anyone in there”?
No
response.
Trish
asked, “Do you smell smoke”?
The
Manager sniffed, then shook his head, “nope.”
He pushed the door all the way open and stepped back, just in case
someone or something came flying out.
The
room was empty. And smoke free. The 3 of them entered and looked around -
nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary.
The Manager looked to Ron and Trish for comment. Trish was defensive, “I know what I
saw! Something was here. And there was heavy smoke!”
The
Manager was extremely professional, “I can only say that whatever happen here,
whatever it was, appears to be gone now. I don’t smell anything, do either of
you”?
Ron
and Trish shook their heads no.
The
Manager started for the door, saying, “If there’s anything I can do to help in
any way, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
Ron
looked at Trish then back at the Manager, “Actually there is something you can
do.”
“Anything,
just ask.”
“Can
we get a different room”?
The
Manager smiled, “Absolutely”. And he
motioned them out of the room.
As
they made thier way beck toward the reception area, Trish walked back toward
the room. She looked at the door –
136. She knew that something paranormal
had just taken place behind that door, and she’d never be the same.
